Ash Ketchum: Gym Leader and Parent
by Darkness593
Summary: A thirty year old Ash Ketchum is chosen to be the Gym Leader of Neon Town's new Gym at the same time that the daughter he never knew he had makes her appearance. Just one question remains: who is her mother? Pokemon belongs to Satoshi Tajiri and Nintendo.
1. Chapter 1

Pokemon journeys; incredible journeys that children around the world qualify for at the age of ten. Each one is a story of unique bonds, of which no two are the same. One such journey was that of Ash Ketchum, who forged countless, lifelong bonds in his first year alone. The first of these bonds was with his first Pokemon and best friend Pikachu, who he never would've met had he not overslept the day he started his adventure.

It's been twenty years since that fateful day. Ash has long since finished his travels and now lives in a bachelor suite in Neon Town. He prepared for the nightly noise of the outdoor casinos by buying noise cancelling headphones when he first moved in. While all of his Pokemon resided at Professor Oak's ranch, Pikachu remained by Ash's side, in this case serving as his roommate.

It was sunset when Ash sat down at the table for dinner. He filled Pikachu's food dish and eyed the papers Brock had sent him. With a new Gym being built in Neon Town, Ash was considering signing up to be the Gym Leader. He had already finished the written examination, as it was mandatory for all League sponsored careers, and his victories over the Frontier Brains allowed him to bypass the 100 straight wins prerequisite. It also helped that Brock and Misty, as Gym Leaders themselves, were willing to put in a good word for Ash. All Ash needed to do at this point was fill out the application form and submit it at the nearest Pokemon Center.

Of course, there were plenty of things to consider before becoming a Gym Leader. He would of course run an extra Gym rather than one of the main eight, which would be a load of stress off his back. The type of Gym he would run was definitely the most concerning detail. He was skilled in most types, but any given Gym needed to have one specialty type. He would definitely want to incorporate Pikachu into the Gym, but becoming an electric type Gym would require him to catch and train at least two more electric types, which wasn't likely on short notice.

Ash sighed and slid the papers away. He needed to sleep on this.

 **...**

The next day, Ash submitted his application to Nurse Joy.

"So," she looked over the paper, "you want to be a fire type Gym Leader?"

"We'll, Blaine is retiring, so I figured the role might be up for grabs," Ash chuckled, "do you think I've got a shot?"

"That's up to the League," Joy put the paper among a growing stack, "have a nice day."

Ash turned to leave and bumped right into an ten year old girl.

"Sorry," Ash said.

"No, I should be the one to apologise," the girl bowed, showing that she was carrying a Vulpix in her backpack, as it's head was sticking out, sniffing the air in the Pokemon Center. She stood back up, "Actually, could you please help me?" She pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and read a bit of it, "I'm looking for someone named "Ash Ketchum". He lives somewhere in this town. I tried his apartment, but no one answered. Do you know where he is?"

"You're speaking to him," Ash smirked at her surprised face, "how can I help you?"

"I was hoping you could tell me," the girl gripped her arm and shuffled nervously, "I remember wandering around Vermilion City, but everything before that..."

"You don't remember?" Ash asked and the girl shook her head in confirmation.

Ash stepped back to take a look at the girl. He might be friends with her parents, but he needed to figure out who they were first. There was a good chance she resembled them, so he scanned for familiar features. Outside of himself, he didn't know many people with messy black hair. He knew a lot of people with blue eyes, so that didn't narrow it down much. Ash thought for a moment, then got an idea. The hospitals shared a database of DNA from every citizen in Kanto and Johto. If the girl's parents lived anywhere in either region, they would know right away.

"Come on," Ash motioned for her to follow him.

"Where are we going?" The girl asked.

"To figure out who your parents are."

 **...**

They stayed at the hospital the entire day, waiting to get service. Evening drew near as they waited for the test results. Ash had fallen asleep in a chair, with Pikachu on his lap, and the girl sat next to him, holding her bag, and Vulpix, close.

The door to the room opened as the doctor stepped in. Pikachu shocked Ash to wake him up.

"We just got the test results back," the doctor explained, "and her mother isn't in the system."

"So she's not from Kanto or Johto," Ash sighed, knowing that his list was narrowed down just a little, "what about her father?"

"Well, that's the funny part. You see, Mr. Ketchum, according to the results, _you_ are her father."

Both trainers sat in stunned silence.

"Also, the results to the Alakazam test came back, in regards to her amnesia. It would appear that shortly after arriving in Vermilion, she had a run in with an exceptionally powerful psychic type Pokemon, and had her memories completely wiped as a result." The doctor waited for their response to the news, but they were still processing from the results of the DNA test, "I'll just go fill out the written documents. You'll receive them in the mail within the week."

The doctor left the two alone. It took several minutes for Ash to finally stand up.

"Come on," Ash said, trying to figure out when this could have happened, "You're gonna stay with me until we figure out who your mom is."

"Okay," she got up to follow him, "Can I call you "dad?"

"What?" Ash turned around, losing his train of thought, "Oh, uh, yeah. I mean I am. Uh, yours that is." He awkwardly cleared his throat, "Let's just, uh, let's just go home."

 **...**

Back at the apartment, Ash moved the table to prepare the bed. As he placed the comforter down, he looked over to see Vulpix and Pikachu sharing Pikachu's bed. He sat down on the bed and considered his future. Gym Leader. Parent. Both were paths he never would've considered for himself, but now they were converging, becoming one and the same. Whatever the future holds for him, he was gonna face it, there was no doubt about that. But one question ebbed in the back of his head. Who is the mother of his daughter?

 **...**

 **This is just an idea. Any ideas towards the future of this story are appreciated. I suppose the biggest point of interest is the question of Ash's "partner" in making this little girl. As for her name, so long as her memories are wiped, that is among the mysteries regarding her. Hope you enjoy this story.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I will happily accept any theories you may have regarding the events of my story. Reader input has always been my favorite part of this site and it hasn't failed me yet.**

 **...**

After a couple of weeks, during which Ash insisted that everyone in town refer to his daughter as "Miss Ketchum", since neither of them know her first name, Ash finally received a notification in the mail from the Pokemon League. His application had been accepted and renovations on the Gym were going to be underway shortly to reach League standards while complying with Ash's request for it's set up. Ash was so excited at the news that he decided to bust out his new grill, which was a moving in gift from one of the towns residents, who Ash only recently realized was the same one he made a scene with during his very first visit to Neon Town. Of course, thinking about that got him thinking about Jigglypuff, which he was certain was still following him.

Ash placed the grill on the table and his daughter stared at it in awe. An indoor grill was definitely a rare sight for a Pokemon trainer, but it certainly didn't warrant that kind of reaction, but Ash let it slide since it was probably her first time seeing one since losing her memories. Ash pulled out a container of meat. This meat in particular was shipped all the way from Sinnoh, making it difficult to come by in Kanto, so Ash saved it for special occasions. Just as he placed the first piece on the grill, causing a satisfying sizzle to fill the room, the door buzzer went off. Pikachu, knowing full well that Ash, unlike Brock or Cilan, needed to focus 100% on cooking for his food to be edible, went over to perch Ash had set up for him by the intercom. He pushed the "Talk" button.

"Pika?" Pikachu quizzically spoke.

"Hi Pikachu," Ash went rigid at the sound of his mothers voice, "I'm here with Professor Oak, can you let us in?"

Ash had completely forgotten that League protocol dictated that the region's leading professor would be informed of new Gym Leaders before the New Leader themselves, and Professor Oak would have been sure to tell Ash's mom immediately. Now Ash had no time to prepare for them, not to mention he hadn't even called his mom this whole time to tell her she was a grandmother. Ash did the only thing he _could_ do, keep his focus on cooking and hope that they would be understanding of his lack of communication the past couple weeks. It took few moments between Pikachu unlocking the main door and Ash's visitors stepping into the apartment. As soon as the door opened, his daughter was on her feet.

"Hello," she greeted her grandmother and the professor, "It's a pleasure to meet you both. I'm sorry I can't introduce myself, but I can't remember my own name."

The elders were taken aback by the sight of the girl and looked at Ash for an answer.

"Surprise," Ash said with feigned excitement, "turns out I'm a dad."

Professor Oaks surprise was the first to fade. He greeted the girl and walked over to the table to speak to Ash as Delia started gushing over her adorable granddaughter. Professor Oak placed his satchel on the table.

"Congratulations Ash," Professor Oak opened his satchel, "It's not everyday I get to see one of the trainers I sent off become a Gym Leader."

"Thanks professor," Ash commented moving the freshly cooked meat to a plate.

"Yes, well, if you're going to run a fire type Gym, I think _these_ will be important." Professor Oak pulled seven Pokeballs out of the satchel, which immediately burst open.

Ash face curled into a huge smile at the sight of his fire type Pokemon. Charizard, Quilava, Torkoal, Infernape, Pignite, Talonflame and Torracat were all ecstatic to see their trainer, so much so that Torkoal started crying and filled the room with smoke. Ash opened a window to clear the smoke and everyone sat down to eat. While Ash and Professor Oak talked about what the Gym was going to be like, Vulpix approached Charizard. Both Pokemon identified each other as their respective trainer's first fire type and, without a single sound or move, sparked a relationship akin to that of their trainers.

"By the way," Professor Oak turned to Ash's daughter, "Have you caught any Pokemon since you've been here?"

"No," She shook her head, "Vulpix is my only one, I think. I might have more with mom, but I don't know."

"Speaking of her mother," Delia looked at Ash, "Do you have any idea who she could be."

"My only clue is that she isn't from Kanto or Johto," Ash explained, "beyond that, nothing."

"Right," Professor Oak nodded, "Well, changing the subject. There are two challengers I want you to be wary of when you open the Gym Ash."

"Who?"

"The current Kanto champion, Red, who also happens to be your doppelganger, and his daughter, Scarlet, who intends to collect her Gym Badges from the extra Gyms, rather than the main eight."

"Why would Red challenge a Gym if he's already the champion?" Ash asked.

"To test their mettle. That said, I would like to see your Gym when it's ready."

"Sure, the renovations should be done this time next week."

"Then I'll see you then."

 **...**

The day before his Gym's grand opening, Ash took his daughter for a walk through the forest outside of town.

"Seeing as we don't know whether you're here on a journey or not, I think you should catch another fire type so you can help me out in the Gym."

"You really want my help?" she asked.

"Of course." Ash smiled, "Now, Ponyta are more common in the plains, but Officer Jenny said she caught her Growlithe in this area. I think you should try to catch one too."

"You think I can do it?"

"I believe in you, and so does Vulpix." Vulpix rubbed up against her leg to prove his point, "Trust your Pokemon, they won't let you down."

"Okay dad," Hearing his words of confidence filled her with some of her own, "Let's go Vulpix!"

Ash watched his daughter and her partner run off the path and into the brush. He was confident that she would catch not only Growlithe, but another friend too.

 **...**

 **If you have any thoughts on what Ash's daughter's team should be, or who her mother is, feel free to share your thoughts.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm having the Gym's layout be akin to those in the games.**

 **...**

Ash was looking through applications from trainers requesting to work at the Gym, as it had become necessary for Gyms to put challengers through "Qualifying Matches" before they could battle the Gym Leader. Ash had sent out a request for each skill level, determined by the number of badges a challenger had, except for the 0-1 Badge skill level, since Ash had already registered his daughter for the qualifying matches on that level. It was a painful process since they didn't know her name, but they managed it.

The way he had the Gym set up ensured that the challenger would go through two battles before battling him. There were three platforms. The lower platform was for the qualifying matches, once complete, the Gym Trainer would give the challenger access to a lift that would take them to the middle platform, where they would battle Torracat to earn it's trust and then work with it to solve the puzzle to activate the lift that would take them up to the highest platform, where Ash himself waited. What allowed this arrangement to fit the fire typing of the Gym was the fact it used steam lifts, or geyser lifts depending on who you asked, rather than hydraulic lifts.

A loud crash distracted Ash from his work. He left the Gym's office and made his way to the main area. He wondered what could've made the noise since it was just himself and his daughter there, as well as their Pokemon. Ash entered the main area and saw a surprising, yet not unexpected, scene. The location of the Gym used to be a preserve, before Neon Town became the noisy place it was known to be, so when the Gym was being built, everyone, whether they were applying to be the Gym Leader or not, was warned that there may be some ghost types lingering around the area. Ash had been expecting a confrontation since being told he would be the Gym Leader, but he didn't expect them to be polite about it. Yet here, before his eyes, was a Misdreavus confronting his daughter and her Growlithe in the middle of their training to get used to the battlefield.

"Growlithe! Use Bite!" Growlithe charged at Misdreavus, fangs bared. As soon as it jumped to sink its fangs into the ghost type, Misdreavus shot it out of the air with Psywave. "Return!" She brought out Growlithe's Pokeball, but Misdreavus prevented Growlithe's escape with Mean Look. "Use Flame Wheel!" Growlithe encased itself in fire and shot itself at Misdreavus, scoring a direct hit, but Misdreavus bounced back with Astonish. "Use Leer! Then try Bite again!" Growlithe executed the combo, lowering Misdreavus's guard with Leer, then sinking it's teeth into it. Misdreavus freed itself from Growlithe's grip using Psywave, then hit it with Confuse Ray. "Oh no!"

"You've done enough damage!" Ash called from the stands, "There's only one thing you can do without putting Growlithe at risk!"

She thought for a moment, trying to figure out what he meant. When she finally understood, she pulled out a Pokeball and tossed it as Misdreavus went in for another Astonish. The ball struck Misdreavus and sucked it inside. The Pokeball wobbled for a few moments, making her anxious, before clicking. She stared at the now immobile ball in disbelief. Slowly but surely, a big smile appeared on her face. She ran over to the Pokeball and picked it up. She had caught a Pokemon in front of her dad. This somehow filled her with more excitement than when she caught Growlithe, she just couldn't contain it.

"I DID IT!" She cheered, tears of joy escaping from her eyes. She waved the Pokeball to Ash, "Did you see it dad?"

Ash gave her a thumbs up. no matter how excited he was with his daughter's achievement, he had to show some level of professionalism as an adult and a Gym Leader. It was a good thing he put on his adult face, because the main doors opened and in walked a surprising visitor, Gary Oak.

 **...**

 **Sorry if the chapter is short. I just wanted to establish one of Ash's daughter's non fire types. It's also safe to say that she'll go on her own Journey after regaining her memories. I have her teams for Kanto and (partially)Sinnoh figured out, as well as her Johto starter, but I would appreciate your input. I'll share what I have for her teams so far.**

 **Note: Vulpix and Growlithe are her Gym team and will not join her on her journey.**

 **Kanto**

 **1\. Bulbasaur- Ivysaur- Venasaur**

 **2\. Misdreavus- Mismagius**

 **3\. Machop- Machoke- (Trade for) Alakazam**

 **4\. Scyther**

 **5\. Poliwag- Poliwhirl- Poliwrath**

 **6\. Rhyhorn- Rhydon**

 **(PC/ Rotation):**

 **Aerodactyl(From Old Amber, courtesy of Brock), Primeape(technically Ash's, she's just returning it to him)**

 **Sinnoh**

 **1\. Chimchar- Monferno- Infernape**

 **2\. Shinx- Luxio- Luxray**

 **3\. Scyther- (Temporarily trade for) Golem- (Trade back for) Scizor**

 **4\. Onix- (Trade for) Barboach- Whiscash**

 **5\. Absol- (Trade for) Glaceon**

 **6\. (Open slot)**

 **Johto**

 **1\. Totodile**

 **2\. (Open slot)**

 **3\. (Open slot)**

 **4\. (Open slot)**

 **5\. (Open slot)**

 **6\. (Open slot)**

 **I'm sure you guys will think up some good teams.**


	4. Chapter 4

Gary looked around the Gym while the younger Ketchum stared at the visitor. The air that now inhabited the room suggested that this man had a history with her dad, but she didn't know what to make of him. The way he looked at everything made it seem like he was inspecting the place, but then his eyes fell on her. She felt intimidated and at ease all at once, but didn't know why.

"Is this her?" Gary asked.

"Yeah," Ash responded.

Gary walked up to her and offered his hand.

"I'm Gary Oak," he introduced himself, "Your dad and I grew up together in Pallet Town. We even started our journeys on the same day. He was my rival back then."

"In some respects, we still are," Ash stated as his daughter accepted Gary's gesture, "so what's with the sudden visit?"

"i heard you were looking for qualifying trainers," Gary explained, "So i thought I'd offer my services."

"You want to work for me?" Ash asked, a little bewildered.

" _With_ you," Gary corrected, "If we do this, we do it as equals. So what do you say _Ashy Boy."_ Gary smirked when he delivered his childhood insult to Ash.

"I say," Ash extended his hand, "You've got yourself a deal. I hope you brought some strong fire types, because you'll be facing the challengers who already have eight badges."

"Sounds good to me." Gary took his former Rival's hand.

Each Trainers grip was firm, as though their reunion had reignited the flame of their rivalry. Their rising excitement was interrupted by a loud rumbling. They looked at the younger Ketchum, who had her hands on her belly, her face beet red. She let out an embarrassed chuckle.

"I guess catching Misdreavus really built up an appetite," She nervously commented.

"She's definitely your kid," Gary sighed as Ash let out his own chuckle.

 **...**

The three and their Pokemon ate in the back, which had been converted into a rest area for Trainers and their Pokemon, showing that Ash had taken what he and Brock had learned in Scissor Town to heart. All eight of Ash's Pokemon were very welcoming of Misdreavus, and Vulpix received a silly "Scary Face", which Ash had grown accustomed to from Ghost Types, when it tried to present itself as the Alpha. Gary had come prepared for the job at the Gym, bringing his Arcanine, a Houndoom and a Magmortar, as well as Blastoise, Umbreon and Nidoking to even everything out.

As it turned out, Gary had spent the last few years on a case study comparing Pokemon in their natural habitats to Pokemon in Gyms. The only type left in the study was Fire, and since Flannery and Chile seemed to be too busy to help out, and Blaine had retired, that left Ash as the only candidate, so Gary decided to make it a win for both sides by offering to work at the Gym.

"I won't have to do an interview, will I?" Ash asked.

"No," Gary assured him, "the study is just about the Pokemon, not the trainers." Gary then thought about something, "So, has Red come to challenge you yet?"

"He was actually courteous enough to send me an email asking when the best time would be." Ash explained. "Now that I have a qualifying trainer on his level, i'll be able to arrange a date."

"Why don't you call everyone?" Gary suggested, "Just to make sure that no one misses the first official match of your Gym."

Ash thought for a moment, then got a big smile on his face, "That's a great idea! Why didn't I think of that?"

"Do you really want an answer to that?" Gary quizzically raised an eyebrow.

"Please don't," Ash said, knowing that it would be an insult.

 **...**

That night, Ash called all of his close friends to see if they could come for the occasion. Most of them agreed, stating that their schedules were free, but Misty and Clemont had to decline, stating that they had their own Gym related things to deal with that keep them occupied for a few months at least. May also declined, stating that she was too busy with a new style of Contest, but said that Max and Drew were eager to see what Ash had been up to. Blaine wanted to see his "successor's" Gym first hand, so he was definitely coming. Even Cynthia was able to come, stating that she was overdue for a vacation anyway.

After Ash finished his calls, he emailed Red, informing him that preparations were being made for their battle, and that a date would be provided soon.

 **...**

 **If you know of any other trainers that could fill in the 2-3, 4-5 and 6-7 badge slots in Ash's Gym, please let me know. OC's welcome.**


End file.
